Working full time as a travel concierge, in addition to being busy wife and mother to a very active toddler, I’m keenly aware of trying to capture every memory. My husband and I were both blessed to grow up with a love of travel; there wasn’t a chance that our daughter wouldn’t have been bitten by the travel bug as well. We took our first big road trip when she was only 8 weeks old, she had her first passport a few weeks later, her first plane ride was at 9 months, and she hasn’t slowed down much since. While her dad and I didn’t make it to our third Continent until we were adults, we rode a Camel in Africa together before she turned 2 and a half.
I think it is important to show your children that despite the culture differences around the world, that we are all inherently similar. Take your child to any playground around the world, or give a child a soccer ball in a patch of sand or grass far from home and they will find a way to communicate. It is through traveling at a young age that forms a part of who your children are and more importantly, their understanding of the world. This is why we travel, and it is why you should travel as well.
Don’t let the fear of the unknown keep you at home. If you are concerned about how your child will react choose a vacation that gives them consistency. The right cruise will give all of you a vacation full of memories to last a lifetime. We could have never seen Malta, Rome, Sorrento, Pisa and Monte Carlo in one trip with a toddler had we not been onboard the Disney Magic. Being aboard the ship gave us the luxury of seeing these beautiful locals with our daughter, and gave her the consistency and familiarity that she needed by sleeping in the same bed every night and eating dinner at the same time most days with a waiter that knew what she would want and how to keep her entertained.
There’s so much to see beyond the horizon if you just take that first step. Remember, that the first step to any unforgettable journey starts at Slaydon’s Travel